It
has been almost two months since I returned from Germany and it is beginning to
feel like it was all a dream. Assimilating back into the real world, taking a
DiffEQ final, seeing family and friends, and starting research at A&M all
have just added to the surreal feeling of the study abroad experience. Numerous
people have come up at me and said something along the lines of “How was
Germany/Study Abroad/being in Europe” and the only thing I can say is that it
was ‘amazing’ or ‘awesome’ which I immediately think is an abysmal answer.
Words cannot even describe the amazing time I had in Bonn. I try to explain how
great it was by telling them about all the places I visited, the food I ate,
and some of the other highlights of the trip, but I can’t ever describe the
day-to-day life of living in Bonn. Just walking to get some happy hour falafel
and Haribo, or just strolling through the streets of Bonn to Marktplatz or the
Hauptbahnhof added to the Traveling to
so many different places, making new friends, staying with a host family, and
just Germany in general all combined to produce the best time of my life.
The Biosciences Study Abroad was a success in so
many different aspects of my life. Through this trip I learned that I could be
independent and brave enough to live somewhere other than little ol’ Abilene or
College Station. Collaborating with enmodes on the sutureless anastomosis
device was priceless experience which I will always remember. Our group was also amazing, with Krisitin and
Dr. Wasser leading the charge and all us students holding it together for an
entire 4 months! I remember reading some of the reflection posts from the previous
programs and seeing that there was conflict, and I’m so glad that our group
(while we did have a few minor isolated incidents) did not have any drama,
which just made it that much better. I’ve also learned that for the 19 years of
my life before I came to Germany, I was veeeery lazy. In Germany I took the
same classes I would have taken at A&M, but also added the fact that I was
abroad and traveling almost every weekend, and I still did fine in all my
classes. This fact makes me question all the hours I wasted in the past years,
and how I could’ve utilized some of them to their full extent (not really, but
my time management skills matured greatly in Germany).
One of the things I miss the most about Germany
is exploring and seeing new things almost every day. Visiting new countries and
going on excursions or just walking around Bonn and seeing a new statue or
building was probably the best part of my experience and places like College Station
and Abilene just don’t even compare. Along with that, in the course of my
trips, I visited so many cathedrals, monuments and historical sights where
history ACTUALLY happened. Usually when I hear narratives about the Holocaust
or some king or emperor, the stories are so compelling that they do not even
seem real. But it was a very humbling experience when I went to the
Sachsenhausen concentration camp or Stazi Prison, and the reality actually hit
me. Another thing I will really miss: the trams/public transportation. Every morning
I could count on the trams to take me wherever I needed to go in a timely
fashion, and in situations like Karneval I could expect a nice message
regarding stoppages. Also traveling by train is one of the most relaxing things
in the world. There were a few things that I missed while in Germany, including
free water and Tex-Mex food, but for the most part it was the best place ever.
I remember at the orientation meetings in the fall
that Dr. Wasser would talk about the different phases you would go through
while trying to accommodate to a new country; one of the main stages that stood
out to me was the honeymoon phase, in which you arrive in the new country and
everything is good, like a honeymoon. The weather and people are nice, the sky
is blue, the birds are chirping etc. This stage is usually followed by a
frustration/anger phase; however in my case I never got past the honeymoon
stage. The Study part was manageable, the people were awesome, and the trips
were unforgettable. I enjoyed every single moment of being abroad and cannot
wait until I have the opportunity to return. For the final time, Tchüss!
